Places to go, things to do

January 20, 2011

WHEELING - Towngate Children's Theatre will present "Beauty and the Beast" at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Towngate Theatre located at 2118 Market St.

Written by Warren Graves, the story of "Beauty and the Beast" has been around for centuries in written and oral form. Towngate's production is a non-musical and closely follows the traditional storyline. It is presented in partnership with West Liberty University.

For tickets, call the Stifel Fine Arts Center at (304) 242-7700.

Quilter's weekend at Heinz Museum

PITTSBURGH - The Senator John Heinz History Center presents the fourth-annual Quilter's Weekend Saturday and Sunday showcasing the unique history of quilting in Western Pennsylvania with a variety of quilting displays, vendors and featured speakers.

Quilter's Weekend will feature a total of 19 quilting vendors and guilds along with more than 30 local quilts on display.

Hundreds of visitors, from novices to skilled quilters, will experience a weekend full of activities emphasizing the theme "Old and New." Visitors also can bring their gently used quilting books for a book exchange and meet experts from quilting guilds and shops throughout the region.

The Quilter's Weekend is free with history center admission, and the hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 1212 Smallman St.

WEIRTON - Verdict will perform at the Irish Pub located at 3027 Main St. Saturday night. 10 Feet Tall will perform Jan. 29; I4NI will perform Feb. 12; and Makeshift All-Stars will perform Feb. 19.

Every Friday is steak night.

Dance Council to present Stephen Petronio Company

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Dance Council will presents the Stephen Petronio Company at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Byham Theater.

The show has been called "a richly layered, juicily contemporary experience sharply articulated heady spontaneity terrific dancers and a mix of super-athletes and wild creatures," by Susan Reiter of the New York Press.

Tickets range from $19 to $45 and may be purchased at the box office at Theater Square, online at www.pgharts.org or by calling (412) 456-6666.

Saturdays, Pittsburgh Improv All-Stars. The last Saturday of every month features troupes, special guests games and performers from the Pittsburgh Improv Jam. Winter dates include Jan. 29, Feb. 26 and March 26. The performance begins at 10:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m. Feb. 5, the John McIntire Dangerously Live Comedy Talk Show. Media personality and comedian John McIntire hosts this panel show, which features local journalists, politicians and comics exploring topical issues and riffing on the news of the day. Timely topics and panelists are announced two weeks prior to each show.

WHEELING - The Independent Theatre Collective will hold open auditions for the 2011 season from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Hazel-Atlas Building located at 87 15th St.

Those auditioning should prepare a two-minute monologue, and ITC board members and season directors will oversee the auditions and cast as many productions as possible. Those not available to attend auditions should e-mail a headshot and theatrical resume to Managing Director Jeremy Richter at jfr@itcgreenroom.org.

Those wanting to be considered for technical work should contact Technical Director Chris Jarrett at ibuildsets@yahoo.com.

This season's productions include "Keely and Du" by Jane Martin, "Postcards From a Dead Dog & Shaving Lessons and Half-Windsor Knots" by F.J. Hartland, "American Buffalo" by David Mamet, "Topdog/underdog" by Suzan-Lori Parks and Stofest 2011, a one-act play festival.

Area teens

featured at

Vineyard

WHEELING - Two area teens will be featured artists Tuesday at the Vineyard Cafe, located at 647 Warden Road.

Open mic begins at 7 p.m., Katrina Stewart will perform during "Extended Mike" 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the evening will conclude with Taylor Porter in "Up Close in Concert" 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Stewart has been singing in her family's band, Homefires Burning, since grade school. She performs a mix of adult contemporary music, including covering Jewel, Alanis Morissette and Colbie Caillat. Stewart will premier two new songs co-written by her father, R. Scott Stewart and Canadian lyricist Terri Frances.

She is an honors student at Wheeling Park High School and attended the 2010 Governor's School of the Arts. Stewart contributed to her father's "Fire of the Sun" album, produced at Rattlefiddle Productions Studio in Valley Grove.

Porter has performed two years running at the annual Irish Youth Sports Fundraiser for the St. John's Central Football Field in Bellaire and at the All-American Days Festival in Bellaire, where she opened for the Vogues. She also has made appearances at several local county fairs and is a regular opening act for the Rafter M. Rodeo Co. Porter's uncle and cousins were members of the 1970s bluegrass band the Porter Brothers, and she has opened for her cousin, singer/songwriter Adrian Niles.

She is a two-year letterman with the Bellaire High School Lady Reds softball team. She is entering her second semester with the post-secondary program at Ohio University Eastern, where she will complete her high school requirements in 2012. She plans to pursue a music career and law degree.

Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Advanced ticket sales only include reserved seating at $50 and regular seating at $40. Hors d'oeuvres are included, and a cash bar will be available. For tickets and information, call (304) 914-9243

OSP holds

auditions

HICKORY, Pa. - The Old Schoolhouse Players will hold auditions for Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound," directed by John Riley, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 30 and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Mount Pleasant Community Center located at 20 Wabash Ave. Four men, aged in their 20s through 70s, and two women, aged approximately 50, are needed.

There will be two cold readings from the script, and those attending are asked to bring a photo and a resume. Production dates are March 18-20 and 25-27.

Auditions for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," directed by Rick Bryant, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 12 and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 13. Production dates are May 13-15 and 20-22.

Dance Council presents

Tango Fire

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Dance Council presents the Tango Fire dance company of Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Byham Theater.

Tango Inferno, created by director Yanina Fajar and assistant choreographer and dancer German Cornejo, traces the dance from its origins in the red light district of Buenos Aires to the popular public dances of today known throughout Argentina as the Milonga, and through its more recent evolution into the world of contemporary ballroom.

Under the choreographic and artistic direction of Fajar, Tango Fire has performed together as a dance troupe since 2005. Artistic director, choreographer and dancer Fajar was born in Pergamino, Buenos Aires, and began dancing at the age of 6. Yanina studied dance at Fracasi Conservatoire of Dance, obtaining a degree in Arabian bellydance, Spanish folklore dance and Argentine folklore dance. She studied with tango dancers including Sandra Butz and Gabriel Ortega, Silvio Lavia, Nito and Elva Garcia and Pepito Avellaneda.

Cornejo, assistant choreographer of the show Tango Inferno and dancer for the company, was born in Z'rate, Buenos Aires Province. At the age of 10, Cornejo started studying tango and by age 15, he obtained a degree from Gatell Conservatory of Dance with the honorable title of Master of Tango. Tickets may be purchased for $19 to $45 at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.

Pittsburghers to be saluted at Heinz Museum

PITTSBURGH - Seven distinguished Pittsburghers will be recognized for their exceptional contributions to the history of Western Pennsylvania, the nation and the world as part of the Senator John Heinz History Center's 19th-annual History Makers Award Dinner set for April 8 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel.

The annual black-tie benefit dinner honors outstanding men and women whose achievements, while rooted in Western Pennsylvania, transcend geographical bounds.

YORKVILLE - International Christian recording artists the Chrisagis Brothers, identical twins Brian and Shawn, have just released their latest CD, "Ransom."

All the songs were written by award-winning songwriter Bob Farrell. Farrell has written for such legends in the music industry as Eric Clapton, Sandi Patty, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Wyonna Judd, Dianna Ross and Ann Murray, to name a few. The CD already has been picked up by an international label that has nominated the CD for a Grammy Award.

The CD was produced by Rick Witkowski at Studio L in Weirton. The brothers expect to be heard on international radio and are in talks about touring France and Canada in the next few months.

In 2009 the brothers released "Playing with Life & Death" that led them to tour worldwide and appear on Christian TV networks and radio shows. They held the title as one of the top 50 independent bands in the world at www.ReverbNation for eight months straight.

For information, go to www.chrisagis.org or call (740) 859-2344. "Ransom" will be available online or in stores throughout the Tri-State Area.